


Minefield

by Lucy410



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s02e03 Minefield, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-08 23:29:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1960260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy410/pseuds/Lucy410
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trip's thoughts during and after Minefield</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

My day started badly, I gotta say I hate waking up without Malcolm by my side but he had a breakfast with the Captain and said he’d be awake all night, tossing and turning and keeping me awake. I argued with him but he was adamant, Malcolm is as stubborn as a mule and you have to know which battles to fight and which to let go. If I’d have known then what I know now I don’t think I would have let him win that one.

And then it just got worse. Five minutes into my shift and we lose part of the ship. So now I’m fighting plasma fires and trying to figure out if all my team are in one piece, that’s bad enough wouldn’t you say? But now the worst is yet to come because not only is there a huge honking mine attached to Enterprise but Malcolm’s out there clinging to the hull and trying to defuse the damn thing. I think my heart near stopped when I heard that. He’s out there and I can’t help him. I know Jon understands because when I look in his eyes I can see the fear there too. I can’t lose Malcolm; I won’t lose Malcolm and I keep repeating those words, if I say them often enough they must be true.

I’m sitting at Malcolm’s station; weirdly it makes me feel calmer even while I’m overseeing the plan to jettison a piece of the hull, the piece of hull that Malcolm’s on. Still he’ll be safely inside before that happens or at least that’s the plan. 

This day just keeps getting better and better. Now there are ships firing at us! Although even while I’m worrying about Enterprise and Malcolm I can’t help thinking about those cloaked ships and wondering how exactly they do that. Must take a hell of a lot of energy. I’m brought back to myself when Malcolm, in that annoying ultra-calm way he has tells us he’s now anchored to the hull with a spike through his leg! I have to be out there with him but Jon wants to go, he gives me a look and I know he understands but he’s adamant that I have to stay here.

Dammit Malcolm! I’m trying my best to hide my feelings but it’s getting harder and harder. Jon is the only one who knows about me and Malcolm and to be honest I’d like to keep it that way as long as possible. The only good thing about those ships is that they’re distracting me from thinking about Malcolm too much, not that Hoshi exactly put my mind at rest and given T’pol’s reaction these Romulans don’t sound like anyone we want to mess with.

Malcolm and Jon are taking a long time over defusing that mine. I wonder what they’re talking about. Jon told me that he wanted to get to know Malcolm a little better, maybe they’re out there on the hull, bonding. Facing death together can sure change your opinion about someone; it certainly did for me and Malcolm. I just hope that Jon doesn’t decide that Malcolm’s too good for me. I know that I’m not good enough for him yet but I was planning on working on that.

We’re out of the minefield! Finally some good news. Travis looks bushed but doesn’t want to leave the Bridge, I can understand that so I don’t insist.

But the Romulans are back, they don’t care about Malcolm they just want us gone and I know that Jon has got to put the safety of the ship and her crew first and I don’t know what he’s going to do! Oh god Malcolm, I just wish.. I wish I could say something, have a few minutes just to tell him how I feel. Sure we’re a couple and we do most everything that couples do but I’ve never had the chance to tell him that I love him. The thought that I may now never have that chance makes my heart pound harder in my chest.  
Jon’s coming back in. I don’t know what happened out there but when I realise his suit’s almost out of air I can make a pretty good guess and if I wasn’t so worried I’d be mad with Malcolm but I don’t have time I need to get the shuttlepod hatches and pray that they do their job.

I can’t think, only react not until Malcolm and Jon are safe. Not until then.

We’ve got them! My heart almost stops and I can’t wait to get to the launch bay. I have to see Malcolm, have to touch him. The whole crew could be watching and I wouldn’t let it stop me. In the end when I see him I find myself rethinking the whole pull Malcolm into my arms thing. He’s pale and I can see the pain in his eyes. So I crouch down and reach out to touch his good leg. I want to go with him to sickbay but I can’t. The worse of the crisis is over, Malcolm’s safe and I have to haul ass down to engineering and start work on all the repairs.

 

I’m exhausted now, don’t know how many hours work I’ve done but Enterprise is no longer about to fall apart. Mind you we’re still a sitting duck if anything big and scary comes along. It’s going to take at least four months to repair the damage and that depends on getting the supplies we need, I haven’t told Jon yet. I want to see Malcolm first.

“What the hell do you think you were doing?” I don’t know where those words have come from and Malcolm, sitting on the biobed looks at me as though I’m crazy.

“I beg your pardon?” He’s retreating back behind his façade and that really should have been enough warning for me to back off but I can’t.

“You know what I’m talking about,” I’m advancing on him, my hands clenched into fists and I can see Phlox watching, wondering whether or not he should intervene. “You detached your air-line Malcolm. You were just going to let yourself die?”

“It seemed like the right decision at the time Commander.”

Ouch. 

“You didn’t stop to think about us did you?” I accuse angrily and Malcolm immediately pulls himself straighter on the biobed, as much standing to attention as is possible while sitting down.

“Actually Trip,” his voice is small, “I never stopped thinking about you.”

All my anger drops away and I move quickly forward, wrapping my arms around Malcolm before he can pull away. There’s a moment of resistance and then he hugs me back.

“I love you Malcolm.” I murmur the words into his ear and his arms tighten around me in response. Then I step back so I can look at him and his grey eyes are shining. “There’s just one thing. As soon as you’re out of here I want you to come back to my quarters. You’ll be sleeping there from now on. Every night.”  
“But..”  
“I want to make us official Malcolm.” I tell him and am left wondering whether in fact the whole incident was worth it after all just for the look on Malcolm’s face and the knowledge that he’s mine now.


	2. Malcolm's thoughts

Somehow I'd managed to convince myself that Captain Archer's only reason for inviting me to breakfast was to talk to me about Trip. 

My romantic relationship with Commander Tucker is still fairly new and still a secret from the rest of the crew, although, thanks to Trip and his big mouth, not the Captain. 

I worry he thinks our relationship is bad for the ship. Because of this I'd prepared something to talk to the captain about. He referred to it as homework but it was really just an attempt to keep the conversatiin away from Trip.

It appeared to work and to be honest I was relieved when T'pol interupted our meal. I was far too wound up to have any appetite anyway. 

 

From then on things just got worse. It was actually a relief to see the mine attached to the ship because it was something i could deal with although i would have liked the chance to say something to Trip before i went out onto the hull.

Being on Enterprise means that I never know quite what lies ahead. I don't usually mind that and when we face things we do it as a crew but walking out onto the hull I felt very alone.

 

That lonliness intensified when that spike anchored itself to the hull via my leg. Knowing that hostile ship was out there somewhere didn't help either. 

I was grateful that Captain Archer came to help rather than Trip although I'm sure he tried to argue that it should be him. 

To be honest everything that happened between then and finding myself in the launch bay is a bit of a blur. The only thing i remember clearly is detaching my air hose. 

It seemed like a good idea at the time. With the Romuleans threatening us the only thing I could think about was Trip and however much I didn't want to die I wanted him to die even less. I should have known he wouldn't appreciate that fact.

I however did appreciate the fact that he came to the launch bay to see me even though he had to leave soon afterwards. I should imagine that Enterprise needs extensive repairs and knowing Trip he'll push himself to the limits in order to get the work done.

 

Unlike me of course. I'm stuck in Sickbay. Thankfully Phlox decided to put me out while he removed the spike from my leg but I'm awake now. It's not painful just sore so that's an improvement. 

Phlox says it will be at least two weeks before I'm fit enough to return to work. I'm hoping this is merely an example of physician's humour.   
He doesn't want to let me go back to my quarters just yet. I wonder if he'll let me go and fetch a book.

"You have a visitor." Phlox smiles at me and I give up my plan to get hold of a book when I see Trip standing opposite me.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?"

I suppose I should have expected Trip to react like this. He's had time now to think about everything and he must have worked out what I did. But a hello would have been nice.

"I beg your pardon." I'm hoping that the coolness of my reply might tell Trip that's he's gone too far.

"You know what I'm talking about."

He's walking towards me, his hands clenched into fists and to be honest I've never seen him this angry before.

"You detached yout air-line Malcolm. You were going to let yourself die?"

I've heard him use this tone before, when he's been tearing a strip off me for wanting to do something that he thinks will endanger Enterprise. So in light of that I use my most formal tone of voice when replying. "It seemed like the right decision at the time Commander."

I can see that the use of his title has registered but it hasn't made him any less belligerant.

"You didn't stop to think about us did you?"

He's so angry that I find myself sitting up straighter, a crewman being disciplined by a superior officer. Or perhaps two lovers who have been to hell and back.

"Actually Trip I never stopped thinking about you."

The anger in Trip's eyes is gone and his arms are around me. For a moment I consider pushing him away but instead I put my arms around him, hugging him back.

"I love you Malcolm." He whispers the words into my ear and I hug him tighter. I don't think there's any way I can tell him how much those words mean to me.

Finally Trip lets go."There's just one thing. As soon as you're out of here I want you to come back to my quarters. You'll be sleeping there from now on. Every night."

"But.." His words are an order.

"I want to make us official Malcolm."

I nod my assent and smile. If you'd have asked me this morning whether I wanted the whole crew to know about our relationship I would have said no but after what I've been through I've changed my mind. Love and life should be celebrated and now everyone will know that Trip is mine.


End file.
